🍄 Mushroom Foraging Calendar

A mushroom foraging season calendar tells you which edible wild mushrooms typically fruit in each month for your region. Because fruiting depends on local climate, rain and tree species, a region-aware calendar is far more useful than a generic list. Select your region and month in the tool above to see what is likely fruiting, with habitat notes and warnings about dangerous lookalikes for every species.

Use the “What’s fruiting now” panel — it takes the current month and your region and lists every species in the database that typically fruits now, with prime-season species marked. In October, for example, the Pacific Northwest usually offers chanterelles, porcini, matsutake and lobster mushrooms, while the UK offers porcini, hedgehogs, shaggy manes and giant puffballs.

Morels are spring mushrooms, so “is it morel season” is really a question of latitude. In the Deep South (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi) morels fruit in March; across the Mid-South and Midwest (Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky) April to May is prime; in the Upper Midwest and Northeast (Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, New England) the season runs May into early June. In Australia, morels fruit in spring (September to November) after rain.

Roughly: March in the Deep South (AL, GA, LA, MS, SC, east TX); April–May across the Mid-South and Midwest (TN, KY, MO, AR, IL, IN, OH, IA, KS, OK, NC, VA); May–June in the Upper Midwest and Northeast (MI, WI, MN, PA, NY, New England); and March–June in the West (CA, OR, WA), where burn-site morels at elevation fruit latest. See the “Morel by state” panel for the full grouping. Timing shifts with spring warmth — morels typically appear when daytime temperatures reach the low 70s°F with warm nights and rain.

It depends on the region. In the Pacific Northwest chanterelles fruit from September into January (often the longest season anywhere). In California the season is December–March with the winter rains. In the Northeast and Midwest they fruit July–September; in the Southeast June–September; in the UK July–November; and across continental Europe July–October. They love mossy ground in mixed forest after steady rain.

Porcini are late-summer to autumn mushrooms in most of the Northern Hemisphere: August–October in continental Europe, September–October in the UK, August–October in the Northeast and Midwest US, and September–November in the Pacific Northwest (with a second winter flush in some years). In California they follow the winter rains (November–March). In Australia, porcini fruit in pine plantations in autumn and early winter (May–July).

Yes — winter is an underrated foraging season. In the Pacific Northwest, winter brings hedgehogs, black trumpets, yellowfoot chanterelles, blewits and wood ear. California’s prime season is December–March (chanterelles, porcini, candy caps). In the Northeast, Midwest, UK and Europe, enoki (velvet foot) and wood ear fruit through frost, and chaga can be harvested year-round. Winter foraging means fewer species but also far less competition.

The UK fungi season peaks in September and October: porcini (ceps), chanterelles, hedgehogs, shaggy manes, giant puffballs, birch boletes, bay boletes, saffron milk caps, honey mushrooms and charcoal burners. November–December brings wood blewits, oyster mushrooms and yellowfoot. Winter offers wood ear and enoki. Spring is quiet apart from morels (uncommon) and St. George’s mushrooms.

Across continental Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Central Europe), late summer and autumn are prime: porcini from August, chanterelles July–October, saffron milk caps, bay boletes, slippery jacks, black trumpets, hedgehogs and honey mushrooms in September–October. Winter brings oyster mushrooms, enoki and wood ear. Note that many European countries and regions require permits or enforce daily limits — check local rules before you pick.

Australia’s season is flipped: mushrooms fruit in autumn and winter after rain, roughly February to August. In pine plantations (NSW, Victoria, South Australia) look for slippery jacks (February–May), saffron milk caps (February–August), porcini (May–July) and morels (September–November). Oyster mushrooms, wood ear and meadow mushrooms fruit through autumn. Warning: Australia’s death cap is common under oaks in autumn and winter and has killed foragers — never eat a wild mushroom here without expert verification.

The PNW has the longest season in North America. Spring (March–June) brings morels, including burn-site morels into early summer. Summer is quiet. Fall (September–November) is the main event: chanterelles, porcini, matsutake, lobster mushrooms, lion’s mane, cauliflower mushrooms and chicken of the woods. Winter (November–April) keeps going with hedgehogs, black trumpets, yellowfoot chanterelles, blewits and wood ear.

No — and no website, photo or app can identify a mushroom safely on its own. This is a season planner: it tells you WHEN species typically fruit in your region so you can plan trips and know what to study. Identification must be done in person with a regional field guide and, ideally, an experienced local mycologist or mycological society. Eating a wild mushroom based on a photo match or an app result can be fatal.

The pairs that kill: false morels (Gyromitra, containing gyromitrin) vs true morels — true morels are completely hollow inside; deadly galerina vs honey mushrooms and enoki — galerina has a rusty-brown spore print; young destroying angels (Amanita) vs puffballs and meadow mushrooms — destroying angels have white gills and a cup at the stem base; and Amanita species vs matsutake buttons. Every species card in this tool lists its dangerous lookalikes with a red warning badge — read them before every trip.

Often, yes — rules vary widely. Many US national forests require a (usually free or cheap) permit above personal-use limits; some areas ban commercial picking or raking. In the UK, foraging on public land for personal use is generally tolerated but many nature reserves and National Trust sites prohibit it. Across Europe, several countries and regions require permits and enforce daily weight limits. Always check the rules for the specific land you plan to visit before you go.

Yes. Select your region and month in the explorer, then click “Print trip checklist” to get a clean, print-friendly checklist of what’s fruiting, with habitat notes and lookalike warnings for each species. The year-view grid also prints well as a one-page seasonal overview for your region.

These are typical fruiting windows compiled from regional foraging guides and harvest calendars — good planning estimates, not guarantees. A dry autumn can delay everything by weeks; an early frost can end a season overnight; elevation, aspect and tree species shift timing locally. Treat the calendar as a starting point: watch local rainfall and temperature, and join a local mycological society for real-time reports from your area.